The Styrian coat of arms depicts a silver, red-horned, and red-armed, fire-breathing panther on a green background. This “panther” has little in common with the black big cat; the heraldic panther is a chimera: it has the head of a horse or bull with long ears and short horns, a swan-like curved neck with a lion’s mane, eagle claws, and an upright lion’s tail. The legs are feathered, again with eagle claws, and flames once emitted from all body openings have been reduced to a single flame from its mouth.

In 1790, under Leopold II, the coat of arms was blazoned as follows:
“a silver so-called panther-beast facing right with a coiled, raised tail, from whose mouth and all body openings flames emerge, on a green field, signifying the Duchy of Styria.”